14. Candy

Benny sat behind his desk, arms and legs folded, body tight as he glared at us.

I'd only met him twice, once on a tour of the studios and once when he handed out the schedule for my first month of dancing at the club and to discuss who had won the bid for my heat.

His eyes went from mine, up to my alphas behind me. "Please tell me you aren't fucking serious?" he growled.

"Of course we are." I forced his attention back to me.

I had signed a contract, and the money I brought in with my first heat had to pay for most of my training, at least.

I worked hard pumping guests for weeks to make sure they were panting over me, so, when it came to the bidding, they'd spend anything to own me. Some of the other omegas were pissed that my scent coated everything. They said using my perfume was cheating, but we each worked with what we had. It was still fair.

I realised my mistake now, anyway. I should have spent time tempting guests who would have treated me right. I refused to blame myself for what happened during my heat. I had been thinking about money, and it was my body that caused it, and the beta attendants who refused to help me.

Benny leaned back in his old desk chair, creaking under his weight. He was an older alpha, mid-sixties, pallid skin, wispy grey hair, yellowed teeth, and a rasp to his voice from years of smoking. His belly hung out over the waistband of his trousers, and his sharp suit helped hide everything else. He worked for Michael Farringdon, after all.

"And how do you think your boys are going to take it when you're with guests every night?" He scoffed.

Growls rumbled from the three of them behind me, and I bristled with pride. They were my alphas, and they'd defend me no matter what.

They snuck me back to the club after the best night of my life. We'd managed to get ourselves more time, though most of it was spent fucking in the shower, and in the kitchen, and on the bed, and back in the shower. So we'd only come up with a few solid ideas of how to get out of my contract, but I hoped they'd be enough.

Though Benny looked harmless, he was one of the main people who organised my sale. I couldn't say it was solely his fault, but he signed off on the deal and took the payment. And he was the one that approved that group of alphas.

"We're scent matches," I said, biting my lip, giving him the doe eyes and some pretty flutters of my lashes. "That has to count for something."

Benny blinked heavily, drawing in a huge breath as he scowled. "It's about as valid as fucking Monopoly money."

He frowned at us, pursing his lips as he took us in. He shook his head in disbelief before lifting his hand to his forehead and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Jesus fuck." He swore as he reached for a packet of tobacco on his desk. He was grumbling as he opened the plastic pouch, pulling out a book of papers and started to roll.

"All I'm saying is that I want to be with them." I added a slight whine to my voice, which usually had an effect on alphas. "Is that so bad?"

"Yeah, it fucking is." He clicked his tongue. "Candy, honey, listen. You signed a fucking contract. That means you work at the clubs, you work at the spas, you work wherever Michael tells you to work. And that is all you do. I personally do not give a flying fuck if you're scent matches." He ran his tongue across his teeth before bringing the rollie to his lips and licked the paper, his gaze darting to my neck. "Thank fuck they didn't bite you… fucking hell..."

"Is there a way we can pay off her contract?" Zeus asked from behind me, his fingers brushing my shoulder, my awareness of him instantly buzzing. "We all have savings."

"Yeah? Really? Savings? That's cute. Because the asking fee is seven-hundred-and-fifty million. You got that?"

"What?" Odin's heavy tone was loud in the tension of the room. "You mean there's an actual price? So we could theoretically buy it off?"

"Theoretically? Yeah. But, for you lot? Not a fucking chance. And we only put a figure there to give people hope. No one has ever bought a host. Michael will never sell a host. So don't go getting any ideas."

I clenched my hands tight together on my lap, determined to get what I wanted, whatever way we had to go about it. "Well, could we live together? Just so we can stay together, at least?"

Benny ran a hand through what little hair he had, puffing out his cheeks before he continued. "Look, Candy, you gotta understand that you're goods. You're a product. We invested in you, we sell you. Your worth is measured by how much people are willing to pay to fuck you. And that product's being contaminated every time you fuck someone who hasn't paid for it."

Another snap rang through the room as three auras flared, though my alphas restrained themselves. If they decided to go for Benny, they could take him out easily, but he didn't even flinch.

I'd never heard it phrased that way before. I always used words like ‘whore' and expected others to know what I meant. Benny laid it down bluntly and practically, without any emotion, and it might have stung, but it was the truth.

"You piece of shit!" A snarl tore from Zeus. "Who the fuck do you think you are? How could you say that?"

"Who am I?" Benny raised his brows, notching his chin to look up at Zeus. "Who the fuck am I? I'm the alpha who served my ten years and was fucking dumb enough to stick around to stop love-struck idiots like you lot getting murdered. You've felt Michael's aura. You know he won't hesitate to fuck you up."

"Then could they be my post-heat team?" I asked, though the moment the words left my mouth I regretted it.

Pain pulsed in my heart when I really thought about, because I didn't want them with me after I'd fucked another pack. It was different the first time, because I hadn't known what it was really like to sell my heat. No matter how desperately I longed for them, I couldn't put them through that again, even though it was bliss.

Their presence grew stifling, filling the room, drowning me in all their gorgeousness. I heard Apollo suck in a breath, as if he was about to snap back.

Before any of them could reply, Benny continued, "No. Jesus. Look. Are you not listening to me? One knot and you've all suddenly gone deaf? I don't give a shit about what kind of plan you've concocted to try to wheedle your way around this. You think you're the first people to match in the club? You're not unique, so don't go thinking that your ‘scent match'," he said with finger quotes, "is something special that will somehow transcend the rules set in place for everyone. Every idea you want to throw at me, everything you think you might be able to do to get out of your contract? I've heard it all before, so don't fucking bother."

Benny's chair creaked as he bent down and pulled open a drawer at the bottom of his desk. It took him a second, but he lifted a four-inch-thick binder and slammed it on the desk, the vibrations tingling in my feet.

"This." He tapped the top of the binder twice, glaring at us, "contains the missing persons reports, police files and autopsy results of every single person who has broken Michael's contracts for the past twenty years. I mean, yeah, some of the reports are thicker than others, but that's what happens when a whole pack is tied together with dumbbells and thrown in the fucking ocean." I stilled, my eyes on the file. "Do you get what I'm saying? Do you see what I fucking mean?" He pushed it towards me. "You can take this away for some light reading, but I need it back to show the next dumbasses who think their contract doesn't mean shit."

"But—" Zeus started.

"No."

"What if we tried to—" I cut in again.

"No."

"Then can't we just—"

"Right, fine." Benny blew out another breath. "Christ." He rolled his eyes. "You guys have a choice to make, okay? You either A: wax fucking lyrical about your love, try to break your contract with Michael and/or run away, and end up in a fucking ditch with your faces mangled. Or B: you listen to me." He shook his head. "You really want to stay together? You three honestly want to remain here while Candy fulfills her contract?"

"Yeah, anything. Absolutely anything," Zeus said.

"Just tell us what you need from us," Apollo followed. There was no reply from Odin, but the leather of the chair I sat on creaked as his fingers dug into it, his furious aura pulsing away.

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do." Benny sighed heavily again. "You," he pointed his unlit cigarette straight at me, "are going to say absolutely nothing about this to anyone. Ever. Not even to them." He threw a look at my alphas, narrowing his eyes.

My mouth dropped open. "What?" We'd openly acknowledged we were scent matches, at least to each other. I didn't think I could be quiet about it when my heart was always singing.

"No." He sliced me off with one word as he banged his hand on the desk. "Not a word. I don't want to hear a single whisper from any other hosts about some secret relationship or special alphas or whatever the fuck you lot are calling it these days. It literally said it right there on the contract. No. Fucking. Around."

He grit his teeth, rubbing the thin salt and pepper stubble that scattered his jowls. "And you three, you are coming with me to Michael right fucking now, and we are getting you on long-term employee contracts. He let you off last time you spoke about Candy, so he's definitely gonna know that something's up, but just go with it, okay? I'm not even going to suggest host contracts because you'll just end up buying each other and fucking around, anyway. I know what you lot are like."

Shock bit me as I quickly spun around to look up at the three of them. Stoney-faced, gazes hard, bodies stiff, they glanced down at me briefly before their attention returned to Benny, and each of them nodded.

"You… You don't have contracts?" I asked in a hushed tone, and pain creased Zeus's face. I thought everyone at Knottinghill at contracts, like it was a universal rule.

"Well, nah, not the long ones. But it's fine, isn't it?" Zeus said. "You've got ten years; we'll take ten years."

I bit my tongue, holding back my frustration even though I wanted to hit myself for being such an idiot. I was so self-righteous about us being together, assuming we were fighting under the same circumstances, but I didn't know anything. With tingles of post-heat still floating around my body, I was more emotional than usual, and I wanted to shout, or cry, or do something to release my stupid feelings.

I was already shaking. I curled my toes, letting the numb buzz distract me as I tried not to whimper at the ache burning in my heart. Now they wouldn't be free, even if we did end up rejecting each other.

If they rejected me—properly rejected me—our connection would break. The potential of the scent match would remain, but we wouldn't be so desperate to mate, and the pain would stop. After a rejection, I could end up scent matching with another pack. I was sure we wouldn't do that. On paper, rejecting each other was the smartest thing to do, but I'd never felt safer with anyone than I had with them.

I was always scared I might scent match with alphas who would treat me like those fuckboys did, stuck forever with a pack who only used me, like it would be if I hadn't run from my foster home. Meeting them made me believe that maybe my dream really could come true. And I didn't want to give it up so easily.

We weren't going to reject each other. I trusted them. It was fine.

"Do they have to sign a contract?" I asked quietly.

Benny assessed me for a second, eyebrows raised, before he barked out a laugh. "You've barely been here eight months, Candy. You don't know shit." He grit his jaw. "This is me doing you a favour."

Benny puffed out another sigh, running a hand through his hair again. "If I was a smart man, I'd send you three off to the club in Tokyo so you couldn't see her anymore. Good thing for you I'm more of an idiot than I thought." He scoffed as he grabbed a red plastic lighter from inside the pouch.

I opened my mouth to thank him, but he cut me off. "Don't you dare say anything. I'm not doing this because I'm one of the good guys. I'm doing this so Michael doesn't fucking kill you, do you get me? He's invested too much money in you to just let you walk out of here, and, if you try, your boys will end up in body bags by the end of the week."

I peered up at Apollo, Zeus, and Odin, hoping they would say something, anything to help, but they were staring at Benny, not giving me a single glance. A sudden emptiness blanketed me as they drew in their auras, keeping themselves tightly bound. An undercurrent of fear swirled around the room, trembling underneath the surface of the pure ache beating between us.

"And you three…" Benny glared at my mates. "If you want pussy, you stay the fuck away from my hosts, even if you pay for it. You can go to any fucking bar or club or whatever in the city, but you keep your dicks down when you're on these premises. Is that clear?"

Another slice of pain dashed through me at the thought that they'd fuck someone else. My jealous, possessive omega instincts told me to rip apart anyone who might even look at them. Because they were my alphas. They belonged to me, always. And, if I felt like this, how did they feel knowing they couldn't stop me fucking for a living?

Benny had the lighter halfway to his mouth when he caught my expression.

"Candy, I'm not fucking around here." He paused before lifting his eyes to my alphas. "You know what Michael is like," he said to them, sparking up and taking a deep drag.

He pulled himself from his chair and walked over to the window on our right, slipping his fingers under the gap and yanking the lower pane upwards, holding it as he blew out the smoke.

"Jesus fucking Christ." He shook his head again. His wrist rested on the sill, keeping the cigarette held outside as he turned back to us, scowling. "You lot are so fucked, you know that, right?"